Sieglinde
by Blonde Panther
Summary: Post-FE8. After returning home, Princess Eirika becomes strangely attached to the Thunder Blade. As she spirals into worrying behavior, Seth and Ephraim will have to figure out what is going on, as she's not going to tell them. Updates Fridays.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Everything you recognize, from Fire Emblem to Siegmund, belongs to Intelligent Systems and Nintendo.

**Characters:** Seth, Eirika, Ephraim.

**Pairings:** Seth/Eirika.

**Warnings:** Rated for violence.

_**Author's notes:** This is an idea I've had in mind for a long time now, inspired by a small variety of sources. It's not going to be an overly long fic- it should run for about two months, in which I will work up some more material for my series and maybe attempt to finish Beyond the Gate. Proofreading and editing for all chapters was done by Darth Slaverus, as usual.  
_

* * *

The throne room still felt too spacious and empty. Seth had felt it when he had visited it during the War of the Stones, and now that he returned after its conclusion the feeling hadn't lessened. The memory of King Fado had not faded as easily as his life.

Behind him, however, his current king entered alongside his twin sister. King Fado was gone, but there was no time to mourn now that King Ephraim needed him instead. He turned his gaze away from the throne and directed it towards the twins, instead. Princess Eirika nervously fiddled with her bracelet, while King Ephraim only seemed happy to be able to get rid of the weapon that had ended the life of his friend, Prince Lyon.

Upon catching Seth's gaze, the king began to wordlessly raise his right arm above his head. However, the princess did not follow suit. "Princess Eirika?" Seth queried, peering at his liege.

"I don't think we should seal the Sacred Twins away yet," she said. King Ephraim lowered his hand and opened his mouth, but she was faster. "I know, they are to be used only in times of dire need, but… I don't think that time is over yet. Princess L'Arachel said that there were still remnants of the demon army lurking around Magvel."

"You are safe now, Your Highness," Seth said. "I assure you that even with our men weakened and our numbers diminished, no demon will harm you inside the castle while I draw breath."

Princess Eirika shook her head, holding her left arm against her chest. "It's not myself I'm worried about. It's the people. Isn't it our duty to protect them, Seth?"

"That is what the Knights of Renais are here for. As soon as I know how many of our men remain and are capable of serving, I will send out squads with instructions to help with the rebuilding, as well as to eliminate any demons they find." He shook his head. "You will not have to concern yourself with these matters."

"I worry for my people." Princess Eirika was adamant. This was not something the general was used to. "What if there aren't enough men available? In the worst case-scenario, Ephraim and I will have to help with fighting back demons. If all the remnants are concentrated in Renais…"

"I will not stand for that." Unfortunately for the princess, he was well capable of putting his foot down himself. "You will not have to take up a sword again, Princess Eirika."

"Let her. She has a point, anyway." Seth looked to King Ephraim, who seemed pensive. "I don't like it any more than you do, Seth. But the fact remains that we don't know how many demons are left in Renais nor how strong they are. The Sacred Twins are valuable resources in dispatching them, and Eirika and I are the only ones who can wield them." The king shook his head. "It's easier to hold on to them now than to have to unseal them again later."

He couldn't argue against that. He wished the princess would leave the blade for what it was and return to her normal life, but the twins were right. Without the Sacred Twins, it would be quite a challenge to dispose of, say, a Cyclops or an Arch Mogall, especially for their regulars. "I must agree with that," he said. "We will seal the weapons away once we are certain we have no more need for them." He bowed to the twins. "In that case, I ask you to excuse me. I must immediately settle matters with the men."

"You're excused," the king said, stepping back so Seth could pass him. "I'll summon you if I need you." Princess Eirika nodded in agreement, but when Seth straightened himself, he caught her gaze. There was a meaningful look in her eyes when she locked them with his, something few other men would have picked up on. Seth had been looking for it, however, and knew what it meant. Still, he made no mention of it and left the throne room, heading for the barracks instead.

* * *

"Your mastery of our language is impressive," Seth said to the youthful, blond recruit, "So I believe we can bypass having to teach you." Amelia looked up at him, seemingly afraid to speak. "I don't expect you to write up reports in your position. If you can understand and follow orders, you needn't worry." When Franz had first suggested the Grado-born girl would join their cavalry, the general had feared a language barrier, but over the course of the war Amelia had picked up the language of Renais rather quickly and easily.

He was busy filling out the paperwork to make her enrollment official and legal. She was talented, he couldn't deny that, and he was glad to have her aboard; he had to replace the soldiers that were lost in the war and while Amelia was certainly not worth more than one regular knight, she was a start. Putting his signature at the end of the girl's file, he stood up.

"There is one thing I would ask of you, though. You are the first woman who has joined the Knights of Renais in a few generations. If anyone… bothers you, I want you to let me know immediately so I can put an end to it." He didn't expect it would be a problem, but he had to cover his bases. Amelia nodded and he let her leave his chambers, sitting back down to put her file away.

The damage to his troops was significant. At least half of the Knights of Renais that had not been with the twins during the war had been utterly wiped out, and well over a fourth of the remaining men would need time to recover from their wounds. And even then, the possibility remained that some would never be able to return to active duty, their injuries too severe. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. He knew this was the reason he managed so many men. He had told Princess Eirika that she had to be able to send men to their death. That didn't mean it was easy on him either.

Fortunately, Forde, Kyle, and Franz would need no more than a day of healer's attention to fully recover from the war physically. Easing their war-weary minds would be a more complicated matter, but he would send them out with the men to deal with of the demonic remnants. For now, he would take the rest of the day off while he went to fulfill his promise to the princess.

* * *

He knew where he would find her, so he headed for the castle's library. Few scholars would be visiting the castle at this time, and the library was big enough that the few already there wouldn't be able to eavesdrop. As he saw the princess near the back of the library, sitting on a table and reading what had to be a fictive work, he felt a pang of guilt. He knew he shouldn't have given in to his feelings and her desires like this. However, he prided himself on how faithfully he kept his promises.

As he set his doubts aside and told himself he would simply not promise to meet her like this anymore, he noticed something else. Princess Eirika had had plenty of time to bathe and change her dress- which she had done. Yet, from her waist hung the Thunder Blade. He assumed it was force of habit. After his first battle, he too had found it hard to relinquish the blade that had saved his life more than once. These days he was capable differentiating between war and peace, but it appeared the princess needed more time to adjust. As she realised he was there and put down her book to approach him, he dismissed the sword on her waist and told himself that she would grow re-accustomed to life in the castle within a few days and that he needed to stop worrying about her.

* * *

_**Additional Author's Notes:** Horizontal line abuse D: I promise this is the only chapter that does a lot of that. I aspire to update this every Friday._


	2. Chapter 2

Seth knew that the first day after returning home was always the worst. So after his meeting with his princess that night, he had assigned Franz to the night watch so he could get an early night's sleep. He didn't regret it the next morning, when he had work ahead of him.

He left the breakfast table for his chambers at the usual time, seeing from the corner of his eye that most of the other knights had started to leave as well- they took Seth's schedule as a guideline for their own and would set to their training, care for their horses, and relieve the night watches now. Seth himself had a different matter altogether to see to.

He had to put together the squads to send out into the countryside, as well as the ones that would stay behind to guard the castle grounds. As Seth studied the pile of reports he had received from his officers detailing the relative strength of their regiments, he grimaced. There just weren't enough men to effectively perform both tasks. He could not afford for his king and princess to be harmed, but he was also sworn to protect their kingdom… and even without the demon remnants, there were outlaws to worry about. It pained him, but he had to make the decision to temporarily abort all watches except for the ones he and Forde could handle on their own while all of the other men were sent to aid the common people.

Kyle and Franz would head their respective squads, so he could send those off to the areas that presented the biggest risks. He wished he had more resources, but the simple fact of the matter was that he didn't have them. By the time he thought he had the most efficient way to distribute his men figured out, it was time for the midday meal -again, he knew his men would be in the hall at the same time he would take his meal- and he used this opportunity to issue his orders. Appointing captains to meet with him that evening for their exact instructions on which part of Renais to leave for, he left the knights to their business as he made for the study of the king. King Ephraim was a reliable and just man, but his impulsive nature and his skill at numbers -or lack thereof- left something to be desired. Thankfully, the young king at least had the prudence to seek an additional pair of eyes to aid with calculating the expenses that would have to be extracted from the treasury.

In the hallway leading to the king's study, however, the general stopped as he saw Princess Eirika. She still had Sieglinde strapped around her waist, but that wasn't what stood out the most about her. She looked tired. Seth hoped he was imagining things, but somewhere he knew he was right. Princess Eirika's sleeping schedule had been thrown into turmoil during the war and he had hoped that she would go back to sleeping well now that she was safe once more. She turned to see him, smiling. "Seth? Are you okay?"

"Quite alright, princess." He approached her, suppressing the strong urge to kiss her since there was no one around to see it. "You look rather tired. Have you slept well?"

"Tonight was rather chilly," she said, not really answering his question but deflecting it, "Has your shoulder acted up?" Concern clouded her face when she looked up at him. "The barracks are so cold. Perhaps you should move into the castle, Seth, we have plenty of vacant chambers you could use…"

King Ephraim had said the same thing when he had first learnt of the wound Seth had received upon fleeing the castle, but the paladin gave Princess Eirika the same reply he had given his king. "I am grateful for the thought, but it will not be necessary. It does not bother me. What of you, princess? Did the cold keep you up?"

The castle had many better ways of keeping the rooms of its inhabitants warm, especially the bedrooms of the royal twins, so it was no surprise that she shook her head. "I've slept quite well, Seth. You've said it yourself, we're safe here. You can stop worrying about me now." As they spoke, Seth started to move again towards the king's chambers, and the princess followed.

"Your Highness…" he began, "I understand that you feel the need to keep the Sacred Twins readily available, but is it really necessary to carry the Thunder Blade on you?"

"Yes." There was no delay at all between Seth's question and the princess' answer, which threw him off slightly.

He quickly recovered from the shock. "Would you consider it keeping in an easily-accessible place, instead? Such as your chambers or the armoury? Even King Ephraim doesn't carry the Fire Lance on him."

Princess Eirika shook her head. She was being stubborn again, but Seth truly wished she would leave the sword alone. It was his duty to protect her and fight, not hers. She had to help King Ephraim with the rebuilding of their kingdom. "I'll consider it, Seth, but she really doesn't want me to be separated from Sieglinde."

"She?" The general had been trained to be observant and he immediately caught the mistake in the princess' words. The second he repeated it, though, her eyes widened and she put her hand in front of her mouth, flustered. "Princess Eirika? Are you well?"

Much to his surprise, she laughed quietly. No matter how quiet she was, though, he could tell it was a nervous laughter. "That must have been my words getting ahead of my thoughts," she said, "I meant to say that I would consider it, but I still feel like anything could attack me at any given moment."

"You cannot remain in that sort of mindset forever, Your Highness." He wasn't sure if he believed the princess' explanation, but he let it slide. It was possible she was still in a daze. He could only imagine how traumatic the war had been for her. "It's not healthy. Please leave the sword in your chambers or give it to me if you think that will be better. At least consider it."

"I will." She smiled at him once more. "But you should meet with Ephraim." He hadn't realised they had already reached the king's chambers, but when he looked up, he found he had reached his destination. He thought he heard Eirika giggle before she stepped away from him. "Well, I'm off to the library. I wanted to do some light reading." She waved, walking in the direction of- Seth's eyes narrowed suddenly. Princess Eirika was moving in the direction opposite the library.

Seth shook his head, supposing she probably had something else to do before she could take her time off, and knocked on the open door to King Ephraim's study. The king looked up from his work and turned his chair so he could look at Seth. "Afternoon, Seth. Did you figure out something with the patrols?"

"Yes, sir." Seth shut the door behind him, to King Ephraim's rather obvious confusion. "My lord, if I may ask… has Princess Eirika said or done anything strange in your presence recently?"

"If by 'recently' you mean 'today,' no. I haven't so much as seen her all day. Why do you ask?"

Seth hesitated, but finally shook his head. "In that case, my lord, nevermind. I must have imagined things." He said that, but he could not look his liege in the eye as he said it. He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Notes: **As it stands, this is the last proofread chapter that I have in my possession. Starting next week, chapters will only have been proofread by myself, so be wary of that. Additionally, I'm working on so many one-shots it's not even remotely funny anymore, so even that proofreading will likely be minimal. You have all been warned._

* * *

The familiar clashing of steel on steel resonated over the training grounds, but this time the surge of energy Seth felt wasn't quite as immense as it had been during the war. Both men fought with dulled weapons, and despite being a talented warrior, King Ephraim was not half as much of a threat to him as the Moonstone, Prince Lyon or the Demon King had been. He had simply not had the years of rigorous training that Seth had been exposed to. He was holding back just the slightest bit out of caution, but when facing Seth that was the same as holding everything back. As a result, King Ephraim was starting to breathe heavily and the uncovered parts of his skin showed bruises where Seth's lance had hit him. The paladin knew better than to suggest a pause, though; as unaffected as he was, King Ephraim was brimming with the will to defeat his retainer.

When facing his subordinates, Seth would wait for them to charge forward and use that opportunity to trip them up and land a blow, but King Ephraim was more tactical than the average Knight of Renais. He knew well that was one of the general's preferred counters, so he didn't charge in blindly. Instead, he spent some time circling the paladin in hopes of finding an opening in his otherwise perfect defense. Seth, tiring of the waiting game, purposefully showed him one. King Ephraim, thinking his chance had presented itself, lunged to strike, but Seth immediately countered- unable to reach the king's legs, he instead slammed their lances together to push them up, turned away from his foe and hit him in the back with the butt of his own lance. "You should know by now to not try to take advantage of every opening you see, my lord. While there are openings in my defense, if they are as glaring as the one you saw, they are usually shown."

"Blast it, Seth," King Ephraim muttered as he straightened himself out, "Are you trying to kill me?" he said mockingly as he set his lance against the fence Seth had almost pushed him into. "You sure take this sparring business seriously."

"I try to hold my men to the same standard as I hold myself, Your Majesty. That includes you." Seth brought his own weapon to rest, looking towards the other side of the ring. He had thought he'd seen something from the corner of his eye, but his attention had been focused on the duel before him, and parrying his king's attack had kept him from getting a better glimpse. He saw now, however- it was Princess Eirika, who entered the ring as she caught his gaze.

"It's always a pleasure to see someone put Ephraim in his place," she said, laughing. She smiled at Seth, but the general immediately noticed that she had not slept again. It had been a few days since they'd returned, and he regularly caught the princess looking like she had been deprived of sleep. It was worrying, to say the least.

The king glared at her. "Would you like to try? I'll have you know that had I faced anyone else but Seth I would have emerged victorious."

"I'm sure you would have, Brother," she said. "Do you have some time, Seth?"

"I do," Seth replied, "But perhaps it would be better if you faced His Majesty instead, Princess." She looked a little disappointed. "You don't seem too well, Your Highness. I wish to observe your sparring to ensure it does not affect you negatively before I face you again."

She nodded, taking Seth's place in the ring while the general left so he could safely observe the twins. However, before the bout had truly begun, he was suddenly interrupted. "General?"

"Yes, Forde, what is it?" he turned around. The blonde knight carried a file in his hands, which he extended to the general.

"The first report from the men closest to the capital," he said. Seth didn't wait for Forde's summary, instead opening the file and reading through it.

"A nest of demons, in the mountains North of the castle?" he said, "Are there really that many left in Renais?" That was not the most peculiar thing in the report, however. Apparently, the demons had been completely dormant, as if they were in a state of hibernation. The men had cut down every last one of them without resistance, the demons remaining unresponsive until they were attacked, and even then the Mauthedoogs, normally the swiftest of demonkind, had moved sluggishly and with uncertainty. The captain had remarked that it seemed as if they had been waiting for something.

"All reports say the same, sir," Forde said, "but this one stood out because of the sheer numbers. It seems that the closer the squad is deployed to the castle, the more demons they find. However, the further away from the castle the squad has been deployed, the more nests there are…" he looked concerned. "Should I leave the castle and help with the extermination, sir?"

"No." Seth didn't think about it twice. He could not afford for Forde to leave the castle. "I need you and your men here." He shut the file and handed it back to Forde. "Bring all reports to my chambers later tonight. Do not recall the men, either. They survived the war; they should be able to survive a few dormant-"

He was interrupted by a scream of pain from his king. Seth turned and without hesitation, vaulted over the fence to win time. As he approached the formerly sparring twins, he saw King Ephraim sitting on one knee, his training lance on the ground in front of him. His dominant arm hung limply next to him, and his other hand, seemingly unhurt, clutched his shoulder. As Seth touched the limp arm and inspected it, his suspicions were confirmed- it was numbed. Paralyzed, as it were.

He turned his gaze to Princess Eirika. She was the only one who could have done this to her brother. She stood looking at him with one hand covering her mouth and her free hand clutching Sieglinde. Seth frowned as he saw the blade. "Princess Eirika… why are you not using a training sword? What happened here?"

"I- I didn't know she'd actually do it…" the princess muttered, clearly in shock. "She told me to do it… I didn't know it'd be this bad…"

Seth now greatly feared for the princess, but King Ephraim hardly seemed to share his sentiments. "What were you thinking?" He said, anger obvious on his face, "You come to sparring with a real weapon? Sieglinde, no less?" The princess took a step back, but King Ephraim did not back down. "If I hadn't dodged when I did, that could have killed me! You don't look as if you've been sleeping… what are you doing, coming to the training ring without a clear mind?"

"Ephraim, I…"

"If you can't take training seriously enough to show up awake and thinking straight, then don't show up at all!" That was too much for the princess, who turned around and took off. She passed Forde in her flight, and as the knight looked to the general in hopes of instructions, Seth beckoned him.

"See to it His Majesty is tended to by a healer, Forde." Forde nodded, acknowledging his order. "I will attend Princess Eirika." Leaving the king in the capable hands of his subordinate, he left in pursuit of Princess Eirika.

As he had expected, he found her when he tried her chambers. When he knocked he got no response, only hearing quiet sobbing. Knowing it was out of line, he opened the door to her bedchamber himself, letting himself in and seeing the princess on her bed, her back turned to the door and her face buried in her hands.

Seth was a man of the battlefield, not of comforting words. Her brother's words had hit home terribly and Seth had no idea how to comfort her. Finally he sat down next to her, putting an arm around her and stroking her back, ignoring his own mind as it scolded him for the forwardness of the gesture.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Notes: _**_Ack! This is what happens when I get a long weekend: I lose track of what day it is and don't realize it's update day until it's too late. I'm sure it's still Friday in some time zone out there, though!_

* * *

After a few minutes Princess Eirika assured Seth that she would be fine and that she just wanted some time alone, so he left against his wishes and resolved to find King Ephraim, instead. Forde had gone back to his watch and the king was no longer in the healer's office, so Seth tried the study. He had no luck there either, and with the castle and its grounds as vast as they were, if he were to search without clues he would have a hard time finding his king.

However, after the first few days scholars had slowly started pouring back into the castle for access to their library. A passing scholar told Seth he had seen King Ephraim in the library and asked if something was the matter with His Majesty, for he had had a very serious and concerned look on his face. Seth assured the man that nothing was amiss before finding his king.

It seemed both twins had taken to unusual behavior, for the book that King Ephraim was immersed in was very distinctly a history book. His Majesty's deeply rooted hatred of history was well-known to anyone close to him, including the general. "Your Majesty," he said, drawing the attention of his king. "Have you recovered?"

"There's not much the combination of Restore and Heal staves can't fix," the king replied, not looking up from what he was reading. He flipped the page, frowning. "Will you believe it's damn near impossible to find anything at all on the history of the Sacred Twins?"

"The history of the Sacred Twins?" Seth repeated. "Is there any particular reason why you take such an interest in this?"

King Ephraim put down his book. "I wouldn't be so interested in it had that not been magic paralysing my right arm when Eirika stabbed my shoulder. To the best of my knowledge, they're not magic weapons like Runeswords or Light Brands."

"It would make sense for them to be enchanted though, my lord. After all, there has to be something that makes them so lethal to demonkind." Seth now started pondering this, himself. The sort of enchantment that would do harm to a demon… would it be harmful to humans as well? He was not versed in the ways of magic. He would have to ask someone with more knowledge on the subject. Wasn't Kyle seeing that prodigal mage from the war? "You do seem to be on to something, though, my lord. I have noticed that ever since our return to Renais and her convincing us to let her keep the Thunder Blade, Princess Eirika has been behaving strangely and she seems to not be sleeping well."

"Good observation," King Ephraim said, nodding. "You're not the only one who made it. After my initial indignation about her using Sieglinde in a training match subsided, I started thinking. If whatever magic paralysed me is inherent to Sieglinde, it may be what affects Eirika's behavior, too."

"Have you found anything thus far, my lord?"

"On the weapons themselves: No. Like I said, it's damn near impossible to find anything about them. I did find their names though." He shoved his book aside, giving Seth his full attention. "In the times of the Demon King, apparently the king of Renais went by the name Siegmund. He had a younger sister by the name of Sieglinde. Before you ask: yes, the Sacred Twins were named after them. Apparently they were the first to wield them." That made sense. Humans did have a tendency to do that sort of things; naming weapons after great heroes. "I can't find WHY the weapons were named after the siblings, though. And after a certain time period Sieglinde just disappears from history."

"She may have died prematurely," Seth said. "I suspect healing magic at the time wasn't as developed as it is now."

"That's what I thought too," the king said, "But here's the thing. Nowhere in the book does it say how or when Sieglinde died. I haven't had time to try others yet."

"Perhaps her passing was not properly recorded in history." It was a wild guess on Seth's part. "Someone, maybe King Siegmund himself, may have banned the incident from the history books…"

"Why would he do that?" King Ephraim asked, "She was his sister."

"It may have been related to a scandal of sorts, or it may have been too disturbing for the king. Would you wish for Prince Lyon's possession and passing to be known to our descendants eight hundred years from now?" King Ephraim did not answer. Seth shook his head, wondering if he should tell his liege.

As former confidant to King Fado, Seth had been privy to secrets of the state despite his young age. His late Majesty had confided in him with the secret of the Sacred Twins, but what the general was certain King Ephraim did not know was that there was a third national treasure left in Renais. It had never been relevant to their cause, but things had changed… Seth thought it prudent to inform his king. He would have to learn sooner or later, regardless of whether Seth told him now or not.

"I would recommend that you leave the library for what it is, sire. There may be a more reliable and complete source in Renais."

"You speak of..?"

"The name of King Siegmund is known to me." Seth shut his eyes. "In addition to the Sacred Twins and the Sacred Stone, a fourth national treasure was preserved for the ages by magic." When he said this, he knew he had his liege's full attention. "King Siegmund left his descendants a tome, although he forbade you to read it."

"Then why did he leave it?"

The general sighed and shook his head. "I can only begin to guess, my lord. But I have the feeling that it may be related to Princess Sieglinde's passing and Princess Eirika's current state."

King Ephraim did not question Seth's advising him to break a rule imposed on his bloodline generations ago. "Is it enshrined in the same place as where we found the Sacred Twins?" he asked, getting up. "If it is, I need Eirika's bracelet."

"To my knowledge, yes," Seth said, following his king's example. "I will request the bracelet from Princess Eirika."

"Don't you have other duties to see to?" King Ephraim was not the only one to make note of it. Seth had chided himself the second the suggestion had come out of his mouth, knowing it was just an excuse to try and comfort her again. "I understand that you're concerned about Eirika. But I will ask her for her bracelet myself. I do need you to do something for me, though."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Watch over my sister." The king seemed sorrowful. "I have little time as is, but if I have to spend part of that time spitting through Siegmund's book, I can't be there for her." He shook his head. "And I have a terrible feeling about all this. Eirika could be in danger. I want someone with her at all times, and you're the best we have."

"'t Would be an honor, King Ephraim." Seth bowed lightly, although he wondered how he was going to stay close to Princess Eirika while also performing his other duties. That, at least, had been much easier during the War of the Stones because protecting the princess had been his only duty back then…

"Let me know immediately if and when she gets worse," the king said, leaving the books on the table as he walked past Seth. "I know I can't do anything for her right now, but I have a right to know what is happening to my twin."

"Of course, my lord."


	5. Chapter 5

Seth re-distributed guard duty amongst the other men and the next morning, set to finding Princess Eirika to explain the situation to her. Once more, she bore Sieglinde on her hip and looked like she hadn't slept. Seth was expecting it by now. However, had she always been this pale? "Princess Eirika, are you feeling well?" He asked it while touching her shoulder in an attempt to draw her attention to him, but the second he made contact with it she jumped, stepping back as she turned around, now standing out of Seth's reach.

Her sudden trembling, as well as the look in her eyes and the fact that she didn't want to be touched by him sent a sharp pain through him. "Your Highness… are you afraid of me?" She didn't answer, putting her arms around herself protectively and just looking at him. "What's wrong, princess?" His words still provoked no reaction. "Why won't you answer me?"

He saw a faint semblance of motion, but not the motion he wanted to see. Before she could finish her movement and run off, Seth stepped forward and seized her arm, clenching his hand around it in despair to stop her. "Answer me, princess! Why do you fear me so?"

However, not wanting to hurt his princess, his grip was not strong enough to hold her for long when she struggled. "I- I can't talk to you!" she said, trembling more heavily and looking to be on the verge of tears. "She forbids me to tell you anything- please, don't make me!"

"Princess Eirika," Seth tried to remain calmer than the princess was, "Please let me help you."

"I don't want anything to happen to you! Please- don't get involved!" With those words, she ran off, leaving Seth behind in confusion, concern and heartache. He lowered his hand, turning around and resolving to find King Ephraim. Princess Eirika had clearly gotten worse. Seth understood but one thing about this entire ordeal. Whoever 'she' was, she was causing the princess pain. And Seth would not let that stand for any longer than it had stood.

Instead of finding King Ephraim, however, the king found him. His Majesty was clearly tired, although he looked far more healthy than his twin, and carried a book somewhat resembling a Fire Tome, in mint condition. "I've found it," he said. "My study. Now."

Once arriving and locking the door so no one would listen in on them, King Ephraim put the tome on his desk. Upon looking at it, Seth realised the tome had no title other than the name of its author: Siegmund. "You were right," King Ephraim said. "Siegmund knew why and how his sister died. And this tome details how it happened. It is exactly as you said!"

"What does it say, my lord?" Seth gave the king his full attention now, forgetting his pain.

"Sieglinde was a sorceress of sorts," the king said, "Not unlike Knoll or Saleh. As you know, eight hundred years ago the continent was overrun with demons far more dangerous than even the ones we faced. Sieglinde studied their magic, claiming to think that if she understood the magic, she could dispel it." Seth nodded. He didn't know anything about magic, but he supposed that to a mage, this was common knowledge. "The problem is that it was demonic magic. Sieglinde's research completely consumed her, changing her into a different person entirely; nervous, restless, detached from the people she once loved, including Siegmund himself."

Seth immediately drew the parallel with the princess… as well as with a similar case that had caused both twins grief not a month ago. However, he allowed Ephraim to continue. "It looks like in the end the princess became possessed of a demon, and not a small-time one either… I have yet to read more, but I wanted to share this with you."

Seth seized this opportunity with both hands. "Your Majesty, if that is true, then it is absolutely necessary that we take the sword away from Princess Eirika. Her Highness is showing the exact same symptoms you speak of. As you know, she hasn't slept much since our return to Renais, and she is tense as a bowstring."

"That's true. Even you can't protect her from something that is destroying her from the inside out."

"She will not let me near her." The king looked up at him as he spoke, with what appeared to be outright anger. "She states that she does not want anything to happen to me. If Sieglinde is doing the same to her as the demon did to Princess Sieglinde in the past, then that explains her fear."

"You fear that history will repeat itself." It was not a question. "You fear that Eirika, like Sieglinde, will come under the possession of a demon." Before Seth could reply, he corrected himself. "In fact, it may already be happening."

"Your Majesty." Seth suddenly realised something. He hadn't paid it much heed because of Princess Eirika, but he only now realized the two could be related. "I received a number of reports yesterday. All described nests of demons, hidden away out of civilian's reach." This was news to King Ephraim, whom he had not wanted to bother with military matters while he had to concentrate on his people. "Some, under whom Franz and Kyle, wrote that the demons almost seemed to be waiting for something. You said the demon that possessed Princess Sieglinde was stronger than the ones we are used to."

"Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"My lord… is it possible that those demons are awaiting the return of a stronger, greater demon to lead them?" It would connect the demonic activity to _something_ at least. "That they are waiting for Princess Eirika to fall prey to this demon, and will then wake and assault Renais?" He felt color leaving his face. If that happened… The reports, together, had detailed incredible numbers. The men who had fought in the War of the Stones, as well as the squad falling directly under Seth's command, could only be in so many places at once.

"Renais would be doomed," Ephraim said, turning equally pale. "I pray you are mistaken and that they will remain asleep."

Seth agreed with him, but also decided there was something else he could not keep to himself. "Additionally, Your Majesty… I cannot help but see a similarity between these current events and what the Fire Emblem did to Prince Lyon."

"Nor can I," the king immediately said. "I was wrong. Sieglinde is NOT just a sword. Just like the Fire Emblem, it's also a conduit for a demon- we just never thought of it because of its portrayal as sacred! Seth!" The general sprung to attention in a reflex. "I want you to take the sword away from Eirika as quickly as you can! I will arrange for a Bishop to perform an exorcism!"

"Might I advise you to contact Princess L'Arachel?" The princess of Rausten was, despite her eccentric personality, by far the finest holy sorceress Seth had ever met. It seemed drastic, but also prudent to reach out to her first.

"L'Arachel," King Ephraim repeated, "Good idea, Seth. I will not let demons take away another of my loved ones. They took Lyon, but they will not take Eirika! Now go, and use force if you have to! I don't care how it happens, as long as you get that sword away from my sister!"


	6. Chapter 6

Seth wasted no time. Princess Eirika was not hard to find, as he approached her from behind in the hallway leading to her room. He didn't bother to greet her, instead reaching for the Thunder Blade with the intention to unsheathe it so he could take it away from her. However, the sword itself appeared to protest heavily against his hand. The second Seth's fingers reached the hilt, a violent shock ran through his arm.

He retracted his hand immediately, though this had drawn the attention of Princess Eirika, who screamed upon the delivery of the shock. "Don't touch it!" She stepped back, making sure Seth couldn't touch the sword again. The paladin extended his hand towards her, trying his best to appear unfazed by the distance she had created between them.

"Your Highness, I must ask you to hand the sword over to me." He wasn't surprised to see her shake her head in refusal, so he pressed. "I know everything. I know the sword is what is torturing you. Please, Your Highness. King Ephraim and I will help you, but we cannot mean anything to you until you are separated from that sword."

Princess Eirika avoided eye contact, looking away from Seth and catching him by surprise as she chuckled softly. "You know everything? You can help me?" When she looked back at him, he saw the tear forming at the corner of her eye. "You're only fooling yourself, Seth. You don't know everything. Much, perhaps… but not everything." She took another step back. "You don't know her. You don't know what she'll do to you if you get involved."

Seth didn't bother closing the distance between them, knowing she would just step further back if he did. "It is far too late to concern yourself with that, princess. We are already involved."

This, more than anything he had said or done in the past days, caused the princess distress. She put her hand in front of her mouth, stepping back and shaking her head in what had to be denial. He had to distract her now; if she fled from him, he would have to use force, and that was the last thing he wanted. "Princess Eirika… you may leave King Ephraim out of this matter if you so wish. I understand if you seek to protect him."

"It's not just Ephraim I worry for," she said, lowering her hand, "I don't want anything to happen to you, either, Seth!"

"Princess Eirika." He stepped closer to her. "I love you. I don't want to see you die because of this ordeal, please understand that." The princess' stubbornness would become the end of her if she kept this up, and he would not stand for it. He refused to let the woman he loved find her death prematurely.

The princess, shaking her head once more, took yet another step backward, now crying soundlessly. Seth realized too late that she was now outside of his reach. "You have to protect Ephraim, Seth," she said. "It's too late for me, but he's in danger as well…"

Seth stepped forward, but before he could grab the princess by the arm to stop her, she took off. He gave chase, but as he rounded a corner in pursuit he ran straight into Forde, who had been looking over his shoulder at the upset princess. "Wow!" the blonde exclaimed, grabbing his head, "General, words of wisdom: try not to crash into people when in full armor."

Seth didn't even call him out on his big mouth, just looked past him to see Princess Eirika had disappeared. His collision had bought the princess just enough time to escape his sight. "What are you doing here, Forde?" he asked, "Shouldn't you be patrolling the grounds?"

"Yes, sir, but I've been approached by a messenger with the message that this particular report is extremely urgent." He held out a folder. "Not only has the number of demons in the hearths increased rapidly, they seem to be stirring."

"What?" He seized the report from his subordinate, immediately verifying what Forde had said. He had been right. Now that Princess Eirika was getting worse, supposedly succumbing to whatever evil force was manipulating her, the demons that the soldiers had found were getting more numerous and more active. It appeared they still didn't make any movements to attack the soldiers until they can within range, once approached they did attack. They did not pursue, but regardless, this was worrying.

"They've changed their behaviour pretty quickly," Forde worded what Seth was thinking. "Are you sure I shouldn't take my men and help routing?"

This was a terrible moment for this, Seth realized. Ideally, yes, he and Forde would ride out with their squads and exterminate what they found, but his mind wasn't exactly set on the creatures. Normally he'd make the switch in an instant, but this time was different. He had sworn to King Fado, just before he passed, to protect his children with his life. What was more, he loved Princess Eirika, and it pained him to see her spiral into madness and possibly death.

However… he had to remember he was, in the end, nothing more than a knight in the service of Renais. He was sworn to keep the kingdom safe, even if his vow had not yet been renewed towards the new king. If these demons became more aggressive again tomorrow and started attacking civilians, he would be responsible. Had he not had these feelings towards Princess Eirika, would he still be here pondering his course of action, rather than gathering his men and riding out?

He needed a few seconds to sort this out. However, shaking his head, he came to the conclusion that yes, even if he had not been in love with his princess, he would still have been torn between the two situations. The kingdom was still in state of disrepair. In these times, if something were to befall Princess Eirika, the already fragile order and peace in Renais would shatter. Perhaps he was a little too happy to take this as his excuse, but he took it nonetheless.

He shut the report, sighing. "No, Forde." The blonde knight looked at his commander in confusion, but took Seth's headshake as sufficient information that he was not willing to explain himself. "I need you to remain here and guard the castle. The men that I've dispatched should be able to handle the situation. I'll send them more detailed instructions." He handed him the report back. "For now, you should get that bump looked at. I have other matters to see to."

Of course, it was already far too late. The time he had taken speaking with Forde and getting to his decision had given Princess Eirika more than enough opportunity to get away from him. The only chance he had of finding her was if he combed the entire castle, and even that would only work if she stayed in one place, which he somehow doubted. Shaking his head once more, he turned around to see King Ephraim once more.

The king had requested to be informed if his sister got worse, and Seth was quite certain that this qualified as her getting worse. He had to be informed of the things Princess Eirika had said to Seth. As the general knocked on the still open door of the king's study and King Ephraim looked up, surprised to see him back this soon, he prayed that Princess Eirika was mistaken and that it was not too late yet for any of them.


	7. Chapter 7

The door to the king's chambers creaked. In the darkness, it was hard to say if their inhabitant moved in response or not, and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Footsteps were muffled, stopping at the king's bed. For another few seconds, nothing seemed to happen, but suddenly, out of nowhere, the sound of steel on steel rang out loudly throughout the room, making the woman jump back in surprise.

She froze as she undoubtedly realised there was a sword tip resting on her neck. Seth used his free hand to make a light, recognising Princess Eirika at the other end of his blade and finding himself extremely grateful that he and King Ephraim had agreed to switch places that very same night instead of waiting to see how she developed.

The princess seemed different, somehow. It was very faint, and those who didn't know her well might not have picked up on it, but her eyes had changed. They were harsher, devoid of the compassion that they were otherwise filled with. Additionally, and this might have been Seth's own imagination, but he could almost feel the hatred radiating off of her. Hatred towards him, or towards the king, or towards mankind itself… "Sieglinde, I presume," he said, sounding calmer than he was.

"Clever," was her only response. Her voice confirmed that this was in fact not Princess Eirika he was holding at swordpoint, but some other entity occupying her body or simply strongly resembling her. "So you DID figure everything out, after all." She stepped back, and as the distance between them reached a point at which Seth felt comfortable, he lowered his sword, although still gripping it tightly, ready to parry a second strike any moment.

He didn't reply, simply staring her down. If he spoke now, he knew he would lose his cool. Sieglinde had emerged, either consuming or expelling Princess Eirika from her own body, and had tried to use the princess' body to assassinate her twin. He had seen what the Demon King had done to Prince Lyon's soul after possessing him, and suddenly understood what the princess had told him earlier that afternoon. It couldn't be too late yet, though. It was impossible that Sieglinde had held control over Princess Eirika's body for long enough to inflict that sort of damage on her. She couldn't have controlled her for more than a few hours!

Sieglinde chuckled. "Not that it matters. I know all about you. You can't bring yourself to harm your precious princess, and you must be aware that if you attack me, she will be the one to take the blow." She raised the Thunder Blade. "You shouldn't be hard to kill at all." It was very fortuitous that Seth had been fully prepared for the attack, for Sieglinde struck with an inhuman swiftness that he would not have been able to respond to on sight alone. He succeeded in parrying her, but was still struck with an invisible force that caught him off guard.

He had felt the sensation before, during his battle with the Demon King. He had been one of the few to approach him close enough to sense it at the time and he hadn't paid it any heed, but he now felt the same nagging pain in his chest, reaching for his heart until his body recovered from the impact and seemed to expel the pain. It wasn't quite magic as used by humans. If this was magic, it was demonic magic… the magic studied by Princess Sieglinde during her time.

His bewilderment must have been visible on his face, as Sieglinde smirked. "You were hoping to face the feeble, human princess that I once was?" She lunged again, but rather than parrying, Seth chose to sidestep out of her way to avoid the unpleasant spells she slung at him with every swing of her blade. "The only thing human here is my hostess. And once I'm rid of you, she won't be hard to destroy either!" Those words confirmed that it was not yet too late. He could still save his princess, but only if he was swift.

The problem was, he learned as he fought her for the next few minutes, he had found his match. He had fought demons before, but Sieglinde was swifter than all of them, her magic was more dangerous than he had anticipated, and she struck with far more strength than Princess Eirika's body should have been able to muster. To add insult to injury, she knew how he fought from the many times he had sparred with the princess.

Finally, her magic struck him full force, sending him to the floor. It had been a long time since he had been bested in combat and experienced the impact of his body on the ground, and the force knocked the wind clear out of him. As he wanted to get back to his feet, he found himself held against the ground by what had to be Sieglinde's magic, and he saw the tip of the Thunder Blade hovering over his heart. Satisfyingly, he also noted that the demon seemed to be out of breath.

"This body," she complained, "I need it to myself so it doesn't slow down like this…" He struggled against the spell. If he could get up and take her by surprise, he stood a chance of winning. "Don't worry," Sieglinde said, either not noticing his resistance or not caring, "I'll make it quick and painless. You should be happy that you're the first to die. Now you won't have to witness your king and country falling to my hands, nor my reign of carnage."

Seth was about ready to accept those words as the last he heard, when he caught the sound of rapid footsteps down the hallway. The next second, Sieglinde twisted around, using her sword to parry the incoming strike from a lance- the Fire Lance, Siegmund. Its wielder cried out in pain as a surge of light briefly sparked between sword and lance, but Seth felt the spell on his body being broken and quickly got up, seizing Sieglinde by the arms in such a way she couldn't attack either of them. "Are you well, Your Majesty?"

"As well as can be expected," King Ephraim muttered, recovering from the shock and pointing Siegmund at the demon restrained by his paladin. "Sorry to take so long. I didn't think she'd actually beat you." He sighed. "I found the solution to our problem. There's a pretty simple way to get this demon out of my sister's body, and it involves Siegmund."

Sieglinde suddenly started squirming, realising the consequences of the king's words. "You fool!" she cried when Seth didn't let her escape, "Have you forgotten? If you strike me down, your sister will be the one to take the blow! You'll kill her, not me!" She shook violently when the king didn't lower his lance. "You read his journal, didn't you? Siegmund told you, didn't he?! He knew nothing! He was a foolish, ignorant human coward, like you!"

"Then you should have no reason to fear me." The king knew his sister well, and recognized the terror on Princess Eirika's face when he saw it. He didn't wait for the demon to argue against him, lunging forward and sinking the tip of his sacred lance into his target.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** Final chapter next week, however it will be about half as long as what you're used to._


	8. Chapter 8

She groaned audibly, sitting up in her bed and drawing Seth's attention. After King Ephraim's attack and her subsequent passing out, the paladin had carried the princess back to her own chambers and roused a healer from her sleep. The woman helped her sit up and looked at the general. "There's nothing wrong with her," she said, almost accusingly. This was understandable- as far as the woman knew, Seth had woken her up for no reason. "She's fine."

"Very well. You are excused, then." The woman left the room, leaving Seth alone with Princess Eirika. He stepped closer to the bed, waiting until the princess was clear enough of mind to look up at him. "How are you feeling, Your Highness?"

"What happened?" she interrupted him. "I don't recall anything after she forced her way into my- where's Ephraim?!" As she realized her brother wasn't here, Seth put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her down so she wouldn't leap out of bed. "Is he alive?!"

"King Ephraim is perfectly fine," he said. "He is simply sealing away the Fire Lance as we speak. Please, lay back down." She did as she was told, and he sat down on her bed. "Are you feeling well?"

"I'll be fine," she said, "I want to know what happened."

"It no longer matters, princess." He shook his head. "It's over. You and King Ephraim are both safe." He was looking forward to the reports indicating the demons had stopped spawning and that the knights could move on in their task. Sadly, the princess was stubborn.

"I have a right to know, Seth. I know she possessed me. If she is gone now, I have a right to know how she disappeared!"

The paladin sighed, recounting the events of earlier that night to her. She fell increasingly silent, finally looking down at the hands she had folded in her lap. "After King Ephraim destroyed the Thunder Blade," Seth concluded, "You passed out and the demon's suffocating presence disappeared."

"I'm sorry," she suddenly said. "This all happened because I was weak, because I listened to her." Seth wanted to reach out to her and comfort her, but before he could, she continued. "S-she promised me she could help me. She said she'd help me ensure nothing like the war would ever have to happen again. All I had to do was see to it that the Sacred Twins weren't sealed away… so I did, but she went mad… all she craved was destruction…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. "If you had told us, and given the sword to us, we would have sealed it. Nothing would have happened."

"I couldn't," she said, putting her arms around herself. "She said she'd kill both of you. And that she'd somehow get Tana, Innes, everyone…" She shivered. Seth could no longer restrain himself, putting one arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, apparently seeking his comfort. "I wanted to protect you by leaving you out of it. All of you."

"You shouldn't have," he said. "My first and foremost duty is to protect _you_. You shouldn't put yourself in harm's way out of regard for me."

"I know…" she muttered, putting her hand on his. "But Seth, I love you. I couldn't risk it, not with you in the balance."

He didn't know what to say to her, and a painful silence fell over the two. Finally, he took her chin in one hand. "…next time something like this happens, princess, please tell me immediately." She didn't protest. "Only then can I protect you."

She gave a weak smile. "Because that is your duty, of course."

"No." She looked up in bewilderment, and Seth used the opportunity to gently press his mouth to hers.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** And that settles Sieglinde. It's come out a bit different than I had expected, but I'm satisfied none the less. I have a new idea for a larger project lined up, but it will take a good while to write, so I'll be back to one-shots and my series for a while._


End file.
